A large walnut tree (about 30 inches in diameter) at the edge of a slough succumbed to the newly saturated ground and was uprooted by a moderate wind. After I pulled the tree to a flat spot with the tractor, I began chainsawing the trunk and limbs for firewood.
A limb about 35 to 40 feet up the tree caught my attention. The limb was covered with a beautiful stand of fern. I assume it's tree fern, but I don't know that for a fact. Even after several nights in the 20s, the fern on the high limb was thick and a luscious green.
I sawed a 4-foot section out of the limb and placed it in a moist and shady spot in the woods . . . but I know the fern will not live. Mother Nature has a way of growing her flora where she wants. We can transplant it to what we think is a perfect spot, but it will wither. If Mother wants to grow fern 35 feet above the ground in the freezing air, she will.
I can just imagine her smiling at my feeble attempts at fern horticulture.
No comments:
Post a Comment